According to recent reports, Hamas negotiates with Gaza’s other armed factions to establish a unilateral cease-fire, after killing eight Israelis on August 18th – and more, via rocket attacks. While some might believe it suggests Hamas is scared and wants to prevent further destruction of its assets, it is likely that the scheme is more sophisticated than that.

Hamas understood in advance that attacking Israeli civilians would provoke Israeli response and no condemnation of the Arab league would defend the Strip. Realizing political winds around the world, though – UN in particular – Ismayil Haniyeh, Hamas’ leader in Gaza believed he could terrorize Israelis, scoring points with his superiors and some neighbors, while suffering relatively little to no damage.

Haniyeh understands that leveraging international press – as well as bodies such as the United Nations and the Arab League – is a cinch; on all previous occasions, the international community was quick to call upon Israel to halt counter-operations in Gaza. The talk of a cease-fire is no more than a ruse to leave the scene unscathed, after achieving Hamas’ goals.

When Hamas declares another lull – which never is what Hamas claims it to be – Israel will have two options. Either abide by the newly set game rules, hence suffering political defeat vis-à-vis Gaza, or continue the armed campaign. The latter option is also split into two: either Israel keeps destroying Gazan targets from the air (mostly an ineffective tactic) or it moves into Gaza with armed forces, an operation similar to 2008-09 operation Cast Lead.

Haniyeh calculated that whatever path Israel chooses, Hamas wins. If Israel halts its attacks, Hamas claims it won the battle. If Israel keeps bombarding the area, each civilian casualty (real or invented by Palestinian press handlers) plays against the Jewish state. And, finally, if Israel moves into Gaza with ground forces, Gaza’s ruler is confident the Israelis will not cause significant damage to Hamas’ infrastructure, learning his lessons from past experiences.

All Iranian media have been forbidden to publish any advertisements about pets or pet-related products.

Iranians with their pets. This photo has been published by the free Iranian press in exile.

The decision was made by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

The fatwa was issued as a Press release on Tuesday by Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, from the the ministry’s Advertisement and Information Dissemination Office (AIDO).

– Based on his response, publishing any advertisement about keeping, buying, and selling pets is forbidden, AIDO Director Alireza Karimi said.

In addition, ads promoting pet foods and shops selling pet accessories, especially for cats and dogs, have been banned by the fatwa, he added.

Karimi demanded that all the various media outlets decline to publish the above-mentioned ads. Based on shariah, a dog is essentially unclean.

Keeping pets, especially dogs and cats, has become remarkably common among Iranians, particularly those living in metropolitan areas. Police have been assigned the task of stopping people from walking in public or driving with their pets.

Months ago, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi was asked a question about the cleanliness of dogs in shariah. Such a question, called an istifta, is a request by someone for a fatwa, a ruling based on shariah.

The istifta inquired why is a dog considered unclean under shariah despite a lack of any references to dogs in the Holy Quran.

In his response to the istifta, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi emphasized that under shariah, dogs are indeed considered unclean. He said the uncleanliness of dogs is based upon riwayahs, reliable narrations handed down from the Prophet Muhammad (S) and his household (AS).

He described the current Iranian inclination toward dogs as “blindly imitating the West”; something that he believes will result in “evil outcomes.”

“Many people in the West love their dogs more than their wives and children,” he stated.

The Bibles says the deceivers will go from bad to worse, deceiving them selves and their listeners.

What good can the Islamic culture bring to the free and democratic nations in the West?

If the Iranian people do not get rid of this totalitarian corrupt, and evil Islamic regime, their leaders will not only rob them for their pets. The Iranian people will be robed for their peace of mind, and eventually the salvation that is available for for all who obey Jesus of Nazareth.

Israeli right-wing human rights group Shurath ha-Deen (aka Israel Law Center) sent an official letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder, requesting the latter to start an investigation into US-based ‘Free Gaza’ movement. The group that led an assault on IDF soldier on board the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ last week, backs Gaza-based Hamas and harshly criticized Israel, with some comments bordering on anti-Semitism:

The Free Gaza organization is providing military assistance to Hamas by attempting to break the Israeli blockade while Hamas continues its attacks on Israeli civilians, Darshan-Leitner said. In doing so, it is taking part in attacking a state friendly to America – a violation of the U.S. Neutrality Act (18 U.S.C. 960).

The Neutrality Act states, “Whoever, within the United States, knowingly begins or sets on foot or provides or prepares a means for or furnishes the money for, or takes part in, any military or naval expedition or enterprise to be carried on from thence against the territory or dominion of any foreign prince or state, or of any colony, district, or people with whom the United States is at peace, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both." ( Channel 7 News )

FREE GAZA IS known for its anti-Israel stand. As the group set sail for Gaza, it was asked to transfer a package to Israeli POW Gilad Shalit, in exchange for Shalit family’s official support for the sail. The group refused. Later, the group posted a set of testimonies of their website, calling them ‘Survivor testimonies’. According to the radical group, IDF soldiers used violence on all ships, although no evidence of such on vessels other than Mavi Marmara was produces. Moreover, all testimonies discard IDF-posted videos and pictures, illustrating heavily skewed picture. Among other things, the activists claimed the soldiers used live fire prior to landing on the ship and at the moment of touchdown itself. However, Free Gaza failed to explain why its activists are seen strolling on all decks of Mavi Marmara, if the ship was indeed under live fire.

On its Flickr photo stream, the group published most flattering images of themselves, picturing the activists caring for the injured soldiers. Missing from the stream are other pictures – where troops are seen injured, on the floor, with persons holding them at knifepoint. It is propaganda at its best.

Best testimony to Free Gaza’s fervent anti-Israel stance is the GPS map posted on its co-website, WitnessGaza:

The map fully ignores Israel (as well as the West Bank and Gaza, for that matter), but details borders and cities in Jordan and Lebanon. The logo promoting the website is a blunt propaganda, showing IDF troops assaulting the ships (from Mi-26, surprisingly), with activists pulling the injured. Unsurprisingly, there’s no evidence of relentless beating the soldiers endured onboard.

In the meanwhile, Israel seems to enjoy support in the United States, an additional incentive for Eric Holder, who constantly takes flak over various issues and enjoys relatively little popularity among the American people.

In a most recent expression of such support, Democrat John Kerry countered critics’ accusations of Israel being a ‘liability’ for the US. Democrat Chuck Schumer sent a letter to US Secretary of State Clinton, asking the State Department to investigate linkage between organizations backing the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ and various terror groups:

Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a key player in US President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, said that "there are obviously tensions with respect to certain policies" but that Israel "has every right in the world to make certain that weapons are not being smuggled in after the thousands of rockets that have been fired on it from Gaza."

…

Schumer demanded that the adminisration examine whether IHH provided financial, logistic and material support to any organization included the State Department’s list of terror groups. According to the senator, IHH funded terror organizations and send rebels to fight in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya. He also called for a probe into a French judge’s claim that IHH was involved in an attempt to bomb the Los Angeles Airport in late 1999. ( Ynet )

The vote was 7-1, with only MK Ilan Gil’on of Meretz voting against. The full Knesset must now vote on the committee’s recommendation. "We are pushing for it to take place quickly," Ben-Ari’s parliamentary aide Baruch Marzel told Israel National News. "It’s a good atmosphere." MKs Ben-Ari, Moses (United Torah Judaism) and others drank a L’Chaim after the vote. (Channel 7 News)

Knesset Member Talab El-Sana (United Arab List-Ta’al) says he was verbally attacked by a guest in the Knesset building on Monday. Earlier, El-Sana received threatening messages on his phone and a fax reading, "You are dead." (Ynet)

"Because of your poisonous positions against Israel and Zionism,” the letter said, “the organization’s management has issued a Pulsa Dinura against you.”

"You have 180 days left to live. Your death will be sudden and cruel, accompanied by much pain… It is time that you prepare your will.”

Tibi said that “the incitement by right wing Knesset members is the reason for the threats, and right wing Knesset members will bear responsibility for any harm inflicted upon me or or any of my Arab colleagues in the Knesset.” He filed a complaint with the Knesset Officer. (Channel 7 News)

DURING PAST WEEK, many Israelis expressed their outrage over Israeli Palestinian MKs’ support of violent rioters on board Mavi Marmara, as well as support for Palestinian ‘resistance movement’. Recently, MK Ahmad Tibi threatened Israelis, saying Gilad Shalit’s kidnapping conditions to suffer if Jewish government would decide to worsen Hamas prisoners’ conditions in Israeli jails:

His denial notwithstanding, video shows that in an interview Sunday with Channel 1 Television’s Uri Levy, MK Tibi said: “Just as you are putting pressure on the prisoners in the jails we will put pressure on Gilad Shalit.” Tibi did not say whom he was referring to by “we” but the only possible explanation seems to be that he was speaking for Hamas, the terror organization holding captured Israeli soldier First Sergeant Gilad Shalit for close to four years.

The fact that his utterance was broadcast on television and is freely available for viewing and listening did not prevent Tibi from denying he ever said it, in a speech Wednesday from the Knesset podium. (Channel 7 News)

Israeli Jews feel threatened by the Palestinian minority, which assisted Palestinian terror during the past decade. On more than one occasions, Palestinians carrying Israeli IDs helped suicide bombers arrive at their destinations inside the ‘Green Line’, prompting IDF and the government to make extraordinary steps such as constructing the separation barrier.

Israeli Palestinian MKs’ fiery ‘fascist’ rhetoric never did them any good among Jewish population. However, radical speeches certainly keep their popularity high among Palestinians – target audience of the speakers.

Turkish ‘peace activists’ attempted to further humiliate Israeli ‘Flotilla 13’ soldiers, by underscoring that the soldiers felt threatened and feared for their lives:

One of the activists, who identified himself as Mahir Tan, said, "The three Israeli commandoes were helpless in our hands, the lives of these children were at our discretion."

…

"As a former commando I could have used the weapon in a skilled manner, but because we were the defenders of the ship, we didn’t do it. I took the gun, unloaded it and kept it as proof to Israel’s villainy – and that they intended to kill me," he added.

…

"They looked at us, and thought we were about to kill them, but then we let them go," he said.

KENNETH O’KEEFE, AN activist on board the ship – identified by the IDF as having terror ties – then went on to make a statement worth mentioning:

"I took one of their guns, and another activist grabbed him. He had a 9mm gun. We didn’t use the weapons against the Israeli soldiers. I unloaded the magazine and took out the bullets – we didn’t come here to fight," he said.

It is interesting to note that O’Keefe is a former marine and has experience with firearms. It is interesting that he mentioned the caliber of the firearm, as IDF claimed the troops used ammunition different from the standard 9mm bullets. With this particular statement, O’Keefe attempts to promote his own version of events, by claiming the Israelis lied about the arms used on the ship.

Turksih Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan criticized release of the images released by the IHH, showing injured IDF soldiers, claiming the photographs harm Turkey’s image, while Israeli authorities released a statement saying the images proved that some soldiers were kidnapped by the rioters on board Mavi Marmara. However, he went on and continued verbal attack on Israel, stating today that the Jewish state should ‘put an end to the occupation of Arab lands’. Now that we know Erdogan aligns himself tightly with terror groups such as Hamas, we can only imagine that by ‘Arab lands’ he means same as they do – a ‘Palestine’ from Jordan river to the Mediterranean. Erdogan made the statements during joint press conference with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, further pitching himself against the Western world. Assad himself made steps to kiss Erdogan’s rear end, saying Syria is ‘about actions’. Hopefully for himself, Erdogan remembers that in past conflicts with Israel, Syria promised much but did little, costing Egypt the Sinai Peninsula and effectively helping Jordan lose control of the West Bank.

“Hamas, the opponents of Arafat, the opponents of peace, urged a boycott of the election, and yet there was an 85 percent turnout where Hamas is supposed to be strong. Isn’t that really quite incredible?” — Warren Christopher.